Oops De Paul University did it again

by SB on November 19, 2016 at 10:00am

De Paul University protestors stormed the stage and shut down Milo Yiannopoulos this year while he was speaking on campus. He was assaulted and threatened. The security was instructed by the University staff not to intervene or to remove the protestors. Milo was then banned by the university from ever speaking at their campus again because they blamed him for the threatening behaviour of the De Paul students whose protest closed down his event.

Before the event DePaul asked Milo him to pay $1,000 for security costs—only, he points out, to then fail to intervene when his tormentors stormed the stage. He told Heat Street: “I will be asking for my money back.

“What I’m surprised by is that the security, which I paid a thousand dollars for otherwise they threatened they would cancel [the event], refused to remove somebody from the stage who threatened to hit me. It’s so shocking

This time Ben Shapiro was attempting to enter the University grounds in order to give a speech about the topic of Free Speech when University security staff of 30+ stopped him. He was told he would be arrested even if he only entered the property to watch fellow speaker Christina Hoff Sommers from a seat in the audience.

…Ben Shapiro of the Daily Wire visited DePaul on Nov. 15 to appear at an event with conservative author Christina Hoff Sommers. He didn’t get far. Campus security prevented Shapiro’s attendance, saying he wasn’t part of the officially approved program and not on the list of pre-registered guests.

… “If I attempt to enter that hall, right there, just to hear somebody speak, or if I attempt to ask a question or engage in free speech, you will have me arrested?” he asked a security official. “I’m glad in a city that has some 4,000 shootings to this date, you have 30 members of security just for a 5-9,165 (pound) Jewish guy.

…There’s at least six months of history behind this kerfuffle, dating to spring when Milo Yiannopoulos of right-wing Breitbart News brought his political circus to DePaul.

…In the aftermath, DePaul’s president, the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, acknowledged that allowing protesters to shut down a speaker was wrong. The right approach, he suggested, was to “welcome speakers, give their ideas a respectful hearing, and then respond with additional speech countering the ideas.”

Fast forward to August: The College Republicans and DePaul Young Americans for Freedom test the school’s resolve by reinviting Yiannopoulos and adding Shapiro, a former Breitbart editor, to the billing. DePaul says no, citing security issues.

…Tick-tock, more time passes, and Trump…names Stephen Bannon, executive chairman of Breitbart News, to be White House counselor. Hmm, maybe there is something serious to explore in the political clash between right and left. Shapiro, no fan of Bannon, would have been a very interesting lecturer for engaged students to hear a week after the election. But nope, too risky for DePaul.

DePaul said Shapiro was blocked not because of his ideas but because he hadn’t been pre-approved as a speaker or guest under revised speaker program guidelines.

…Learning how to confront political differences in a civilized manner is a tough lesson to embrace. Unfortunately, DePaul missed another chance to play the role of enlightened teacher.